Order Kiosk at HITEC; Company Also to Feature Lodging Asset Management Suite at L.A. Event |
DUNEDIN, FLA.�June 15, 2005�Mintek
Mobile Data Solutions announced that it will unveil WinTrack Work Order
Kiosk at HITEC. The ASP application�the latest addition to the company�s
Lodging Asset Management Suite�will be introduced during a press conference
scheduled Tuesday, June 21, at 11:30 a.m. at the Los Angeles Convention
Center.
"Ironically, the idea for Work Order Kiosk was hatched during a conversation at HITEC last year," says Mark Sokol, director of product marketing at Dunedin, Fla.-based Mintek Mobile Data Solutions. "It will enable anyone outside of the engineering department of a hotel - housekeeping, general managers, f&b staff and others - to submit work orders via a browser-based system. The status of each work order - whether "Open" "Assigned" or "Closed" - will be visible along with the name of the engineer assigned to perform the task." Hoteliers traditionally have used several, often inefficient methods to submit and track work orders: phone calls to engineering, written work orders that consist of two copies�one that the person submitting the order keeps and one that goes to engineering�and shared spreadsheets. "All of these systems have different problems," Sokol says. "Phone call requests can get lost and not be tracked. Paper can get lost or sit on a hook in engineering for long periods of time. In instances where spreadsheets are used, the user needs to know Excel, file sharing issues can arise and problems with overwriting or file access can occur." Part of a proven PM solution Work Order Kiosk can be used as a stand-alone application or as part of WinTrack PM, a preventive maintenance solution that already has been implemented by more than 275 full-service hotels throughout the United States, including many Marriott and Wyndham properties. With WinTrack PM, engineers use mobile devices and barcoding to perform preventive maintenance and capture their work accurately. WinTrack PM ensures standardized maintenance is getting done, standardizes maintenance task lists and assists managers to better forecast staffing requirements. "WinTrack PM enables hotel engineers to plan, track and analyze preventive maintenance and asset management," Sokol says. "Instead of writing notes in notebooks, engineers use handheld scanning devices that read barcodes placed on or near equipment. Everything the engineer does or does not do is identified by the barcode. WinTrack PM also is used for daily and weekly rounds." WinTrack PM is just one part of the Mintek Lodging Asset Management Suite, a group of asset management solutions that Mintek also will be featuring at HITEC. The other parts of the Suite include: Asset Director, Maintenance Portal and Alerts. Asset Director, a flexible Web-based management system, provides the ability to track thousands of assets at multiple properties by centralizing access to asset information. The ASP application improves capital expenditure (CAPEX) planning, reduces costs associated with the gathering of CAPEX information, enhances short and long term strategic planning, and reduces labor costs associated with the gathering of information for product recalls. "This makes it easy for an asset manager at a hotel or management company to track any asset from purchase to its retirement," Sokol says. "What is unique about it is that it can track items such as furniture, equipment, beds or any other item throughout a system of hundreds of hotels." Companies typically track assets at the property level in spreadsheets and several individuals consolidate this information for use at the corporate level�a tedious, time-intensive task. Using Asset Director, data can be entered or uploaded from spreadsheets into the easy-to-access, Web-based system and be made immediately available for corporate use. "Because Asset Director is entirely Web-based, there is nothing to install at the property level," Sokol says. "A company can get it up and running quickly." Asset Director helps a company centralize the planning and purchasing of assets. Being able to purchase in bulk for multiple properties saves time and money. "In the event of an audit, this solution provides an easy way to document what assets a company has purchased and what it owns," Sokol says. "That is especially important for public companies required to document transaction information." Property PM data centralized Maintenance Portal provides a Web-based, centralized reporting tool that allows regional or corporate managers to review, oversee and respond to maintenance issues at multiple properties around the world. The system also ensures standardized maintenance setup across multiple properties. Alerts, an addition to the Portal, is a proactive reporting tool used to notify managers based on criteria they set up. Via e-mail or pager, managers are notified when there is overdue maintenance, a warranty or contract expiration date, or when something needs to be replaced. The parameters for an alert can be set for any event or situation tracked within the Mintek Lodging Asset Management Suite. "WinTrack Alerts, for example, can push out messages about a specific asset class that is going to be out of warranty," Sokol says. "Or, a manager may wish to be notified when his property reaches a certain number of overdue work orders." Each part of the Suite has been created specifically to streamline and centralize the paper- and labor-intensive processes hoteliers long have used to track and manage assets. Representatives of Mintek Mobile Data Solutions will be at booth 1253 at HITEC to answer questions about the WinTrack PM Work Order Kiosk and Lodging Asset Management Suite. About Mintek Mobile Data Solutions: Mintek Mobile Data Solutions, based in Dunedin, Fla., provides asset management for the lodging industry beyond the traditional �property.� The Mintek Lodging Asset Management Suite is the lodging industry�s first industry-specific asset management solution. The Suite provides for management oversight, notification and includes the following planning tools: WinTrack Asset Director, PM, Maintenance Portal and Alerts. By improving the maintenance and capital planning of all of a property�s assets, the Suite results in lower costs and an improved guest experience. Mintek�s solutions have been implemented in more than 275 full-service hotels. By the end of 2005, Mintek will have licensed its asset solutions to more than 1,000 properties. For more information, call Mark Sokol, director of product marketing, at (727) 734-9175, or go to: www.mintek.com. |
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Mark Sokol
Glenn Hasek, President
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